Device for bridging and uniting rails.



N0."a21,50s. PATENTE'D MAY 22, 1906.

J. D. KNEEDLER, N. VANSIGKLE, B. COUCH & N. T. HANSON. DEVICE FOR BRIDGING AND UNITING RAILS.

APPLICATION FILED 005122. 1905.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN KhIEEDLER, NIAL VAN SICKLE, BUEL COUCH, AND NELSON T. l a HANSON, OF SIOUX CITY, IOWA.

DEVIGE FOR BRlDGlNG AND- UNlTlNG RAILS-- Specification of Letters Patent,

Patented May sauces.

Application filed ootobor 2, 1906. B er-111.11%. 281,018.

To (all uihorrb it may concern;

Be 1t known that we,'JoHN D. KNEEDLER,

NIA-LVAN SIOKLE, BUEL Cocos, and Nelson for Bridging and Uniting Rails; and-we do hereby eclare the followin to be a full, clear, and exact description the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

device.

Our invention relates to devices for bridging and binding rails; and its object is to pro vide a simple device which will securely fasten the ends of rails together and which permits said rails to be rigidly and firmly fastened to a tie, so as to prevent spreading.

Another object is to provide means whereby the wheels of a car will be supported out of contact with the ends of the rails when passing thereover, so that pounding will not result.

The joint comprises two clampinglates adapted to be fitted between the baseanges and heads of rails where their ends abut, and these plates have lips which are adapted to rest u on a tie and to be secured thereto by a plura ityof fasteningmeans. Thecla1nping plates are fastened to the rails in the usual manner, and disposed upon the outer one of these plates is a bridging-plate having a curved edge which extends a short distance above the heads of the rails at their ends and is adapted to support the wheels of cars as the same pass over the oint.

The invention also consists of certain other novel features of construction and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter more clearly set forth, and pointed out in the claim.

' In the accompanying drawings, we have shown the preferred form of our invention.

In said drawings, Figure l is a perspective view showing the ends of two rails secured in place by means of our improved fastenin Fi g. 2 is a transverse section throu g one of the rails and showing the joint in ele vation and a wheel thereon. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the bridging-plate; and F1 4 is an end elevation of a modified form of camping-plate, showing the bridging plate' integral therewith.

lteferring to the figures by numerals of refadapted to fit snugly between-the heads 3 and the base-flanges 4 of the rails, and these erence, 1 and 2 are clamping-plates which are plates are held tightly against the webs 5 of i the rails and upon the flanges 4 and heads 3 by means of bolts 6, which extend through e ongated slots in the plates and rails. Both of the clamping-plates are similar in con struction an have integral lips 7 at the centers thereof, the bottoms of which liein the same plane as the lower edges of said plates.

These lips'are substantially equal in wldth to the width oi a tie and have a series of openi ngs 8 therein adapted to receive bolts, sp kes, or other fastening devices. (Not shown.)

By employing lips such as herein shown and.

described the entire device can be fastened to a single tie by means of several fastening devices, and it therefore becomesunnecessary to place two or more ties together directly under the joint. The bolts 6 also. extend through a bridging-plate 9 and serve to clamp it upon theouter clamping-plate 2.

This plate 9 has a base-flan e 10, which bears upon the lower portion of p ate.2, and the u pper surface of plate 9 is curved at its outer edge, as shown at 11, while the inner edge of this surface is straight, as shown at 12. This upper surface is inclined toward the rail, as seen best in Fig. 2, so that the tendency is to revent spreading at the joint by serving to fbrcethe wheel inwardtoward the rail. The bevel which is thus produced at the center of the plate and opposite the ends of the rails is equal to the reverse bevel of the car-wheel, so that when a Wheel passes over the rails it will be supported entirely by plate 9 for a short distance while passing over the rail ends. Said Wheels will not, therefore, pound in passin over the rail ends. I

' y utilizing the lips 7 the cost of securing the rails tofl ether is reduced to the minimum for the reason, as before stated, that it is unnecessary to provide any special arran e ment of ties. Moreover, as the lips are ocated directly beside the ends of the rails. -and are fastened by a plurality of devices, there is no danger of the rails spreadingat this point.

L es

In lieu of forming the bridging-plate 9 and clampnig-plate 2:. in two pieces t formed integral. as shown in Fig. 4.

Having thus fully described our invention,

ey can be what we claim as new, and desire to secure by 1 Letters Patent, is In a rail-joint the combination with adjoining rails, of clamping-plates disposed l upon opposite sides of said rails'opposite the l joint therebetween and having lateral intel gral lips with spike-receiving openings, said E plates fitting snugly between the-heads and l the base-flanges of the rail, a bridging-plate separate from the elanipingplate and having a base-flange resting upon the flange of one of i the elamping-plates and having its upper 5 face convex from end to end and the innerl edge of said upper face straight, the ends of i said upper face being disposed below the tops of the rails and the'center of said face projeeting above the rails and heveled'from side 

